Get the latest Boston sports news
Receive updates on your favorite Boston teams, straight from our newsroom to your inbox.
Masa-Magic: Yoshida’s knock gives Red Sox 1-0 walk-off win over Tigers
Alex Cora called on Yoshida to pinch hit in extra innings, and he delivered.
After nine full innings of scoreless baseball, the Red Sox finally got a scoring chance in the bottom of the 10th inning.
Jarren Duran started the frame on second, and the moment he saw an opening, he stole third base to threaten Detroit with zero outs. Ceddanne Rafaela struck out, Marcelo Mayer walked, and Caleb Durbin was due at bat in a big spot.
But Alex Cora instead called on Masataka Yoshida to pinch hit. The outfielder and designated hitter has been one of Boston’s hottest bats of 2026, but still isn’t an everyday starter. His only at-bat on Friday was a memorable one.
Advertisement:
With the infield in and Detroit doing everything in its power to force a grounder, Yoshida sent a ball into the dirt with so much force that it bounced over the entire infield. That was all Duran needed to cross home plate standing and give the Red Sox a 1-0 win.
Yoshida called the hit “lucky” when speaking postgame. But lucky or not, he got the job done.
“You never know when my number gets called,” Yoshida said. “There’s a challenge there that I don’t know when it’s going to be my time. Just trying to stay ready … whenever I’m in the lineup, I want to contribute and put out my best day.”
Advertisement:
Yoshida is batting .310 on the year with a .474 on-base percentage. He also has five RBIs on the year so far, and his biggest one came on Friday. He doesn’t need to be in the lineup every day to keep his rhythm offensively.
“In these situations, I know how he feels, you know? You want to play, lets be honest,” Cora told reporters. “[Yoshida] was one of the best in Japan, we got him here for a reason. … This is how we’re going to maximize [this roster], but it’s not easy.
“He prepares. He’s a great teammate. We see him doing his defensive work, running the bases, just staying ready. He’s been good for us so far this season.”
As for the Red Sox as a whole, they’re still struggling to find an identity offensively. But they have formed an identity in their green alternate jerseys: clutch moments. Boston now has seven wins in the Green Monster jerseys since debuting them in 2025. All seven of those wins have come by some form of walk-off.
The Red Sox took Game 1 of their series vs. Detroit, and they’ll welcome Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal to the Fenway Park mound on Saturday. First pitch is set for 4:10 p.m.
Be civil. Be kind.
Read our full community guidelines.To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address